Almost 310,000 man hours were spent policing football games in the season 2016-2017. This is up 25,000 hours from the year before, public broadcaster NOS reported on Wednesday.

Despite a continuing trend to reduce police presence around the stadiums extra officers were drafted in to police Europe League and Champions League games and the final two games in the national championships, which explains the hike, NOS said.

Some 25,000 hours were spent on policing the games between arch-rivals Ajax and Feyenoord and the subsequent festivities when the latter won the title. In all, the hours represent 200 full-time jobs. According to police union ACP official Gerrit van de Kamp the number of man hours spent on football matches is ridiculous.

‘As far as I’m concerned we reboot the discussion about football clubs paying part of the costs,’ he told NOS.

Fireworks

Another matter for concern is the increasing number of incidents involving fireworks. Of the 500 incidents registered last season 173 featured fireworks.

One man was hit by a rocket sustaining lasting damage to his face during a ceremony in support of Ajax player Abdelhak Nouri. In April, during a meeting between PSV and Ajax, fifteen people needed treatment for smoke inhalation due to thick smoke related to fireworks.

‘The association between football, atmosphere and fireworks has to become a thing of the past,’ NOS quotes Rotterdam police chief and football vandalism czar Frank Paauw as saying.

The police chief does not mention a ban on fireworks but is optimistic about a possible ‘change of mentality’ in supporters. ‘Smoking used to be normal and now that has changed completely. At least we have put the matter on the agenda,’ he told NOS.